The present invention relates to automation, and more particularly to tools for engaging and lifting items via vacuum suction cups.
The robotics field has developed many tools for engaging and lifting items at the end of an end effector. For example, end effectors sometimes employ suction cups for engaging a surface of an item and using a negative or suction pressure or vacuum to engage and lift the item.
Suction cup end-of-arm tools have some limitations, as the force created by the suction cup is limited by the magnitude of the negative pressure and suction cup area. In an environment in which many items of different shapes and sizes are expected to be encountered, a large suction cup may be blocked from the desired item by other items or the container in which the items may be located, or the item may be too small to engage the entire circumference of the suction cup. And a small suction cup may not be able to generate the force required to lift a heavier item.